How does Chiropractic help with Sports Injuries?

2 types - Overuse or Traumatic!

If you think chiropractors simply "crack" backs, you're not alone. It’s a common misconception I get asked regularly at my clinics. As a Sports Chiropractor, I am qualified in many different forms of muscle work, such as Active Release Technique (ART), Muscle testing, Kinesio-taping, Dry Needling (Medical Acupuncture). ‍These are probably the best manual therapies for preventing injury and optimizing performance. That's why there's always a sports chiropractor on Olympic and professional sports teams.

How to Detect a Running Injury ‍After years and years of treating patients for the majority of the same injuries, and recognizing patterns such as not warming up and/or stretching properly, it’s important to warm-up and stretching exercises.

The best injury-preventing warm-up for runners includes exercises that support the spine, get you locomotive, moving the joints. Your hip socket is a great example—you need to warm up your hips so they can move as freely as possible to respond to slips, quick changes in stride and uneven terrain.

For sports people, chiropractic can be used for injury prevention because it emphasizes proper alignment of the spine and pelvis.

The most common running-related injuries I see, which range from recreational runners to professional athletes, are - general aches and pains including those of joints, muscle spasms and cramp. - General, acute and chronic backache, back pain (not arising from injury or accident), including Lumbago - Uncomplicated mechanical neck pain - Frozen shoulder, shoulder or elbow pain, or tennis elbow arising from associated musculoskeletal conditions of the back and neck.

My first step in treating these injuries: Search for misalignment.

Misalignment of the spine can cause unnecessary tension on one particular body part versus an equal distribution of pressure. It’s important to assess all areas which move, attach, push and pull in order for a muscle/joint to work efficient and pain free.